Huge win for car owners! All TSBs to be made public.
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Whenever you drive in your car, you are safer thanks in part to a lot of work over the years by this small but very effective consumer advocacy group.

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2012 Kia Optima Owner Comments

Optima

3,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have sent in complaints on my Kia many of times and the one just came out about the latches, mine is not on the recall list. I have had the middle part of my glass crack the windshield that was and still under warranty and more but it seems I am being over looked on my car. I guess the only action to take is a class action lawsuit against Kia America. When you have the proof they still do not believe you.

Optima

18,875 miles

On 5/13/16 I walked out to my car without notice and got in. As of then I noticed a long crack starting at the bottom running upwards over half way and out to the middle cracks. I called the police to get a report but the officer said it had not been hit from the out side and take it to Kia. I took it there and I was told I was hit by something like a rock or ball. The man at Kia said take it to my insurance company. I took it there and the agent said it was hit but I had to pay $100 before it could be fixed. A man from the glass repair came to look at it and he said it has been broken from the inside and he could tell better when the old one has been removed. He came out on 5/3/16 to replace it and he said that whoever told me that window was broken on the outside did not know what they were talking about. After looking at it very close he said that what broke it and made the cracks was the laminated plastic that holds the two pieces of glass together and it was a defect in the glass. Kia always tells me when I have a problem, that in no way the problems was from Kia's making the car. This is my third problem with that car that they tell me they either cannot find the problem like with the trunk opening up, the battery they replaced on me by taking out almost a new one and replacing it with a older one. Now I had to pay out of pocket $100 when it was no ones fault about the glass but Kia because I still have seven months warranty left on the glass and they did not want to have to install a new one so they could save money and time and keep people thinking that Kia is number 1. this Kia with under 19,000 miles is junk to me and with some recalls on the make, model and year of this one, not but one single recall was ever made but you did not have to have it done. On this and other Kia's they should make Kia America rebuy all those cars.

Optima 4-cyl

48,000 miles

I was on I-40 going about 75 mpg. Temp was about 75 and the driver side window cracked a little. The shade was not down on the sunroof, but the sunroof was not lifted.I was about to pass a vehicle to my right. All of a sudden there was a loud bang in the back of my head. I was so thrown off, I almost let go of the wheel. It echoed in my head. I panicked and pulled over on the interstate and flagged down a state trooper. The trooper checked... my car was not hot. Nothing flew in my car. Nothing flew out of my car. There was no other damage besides the hole in the sunroof. But you could tell that the explosion came from inside the car. The trooper was speechless. I was terrified to drive the car anymore because I didn't know what caused it. We concluded that it had to be some kind of air pressure that caused it. Again, I'm not an expert but I do know that I didn't do anything to cause this. I keep my car in great condition. After seeing the other reports, I'm glad I heard about this site. Please mandate a recall or rebate for people who have had this issue. The is extremely dangerous. My hearing in my right ear was "fuzzy" for a few hours, I had a massive headache, my ear is sore, the whole right side of my body hurts. Thank god I didn't have any cuts or bruises, but it felt like it (weird). I could have caused a horrible accident if I took both hands off of the wheel. And it's sad that Kia has not addressed this with so many complains. We shouldn't have to pay a deductible for a manufacture flaw.

Optima 4-cyl

22,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving on the highway with the sunroof open. I heard an extremely loud pop, as if someone popped a balloon right next to my ear, and I was showered with glass. The sunroof had exploded. I wasn't around a bridge or overpass, and there weren't cars around me. I don't recall seeing anything on the road in front or me. There was no damage to the sunroof prior to my trip. It was about 80-82 degrees outside with clear skies. I've read that this has happened to other people with Kia Optimas, Hyundai velosters, and other car manufacturers. My car is at the dealer now, and Kia is aware of the issue and is investigating. Luckily I remained calm and pulled over to the side of the highway to clear off the glass and go to the dealer. That sound and shower of glass could have easily startled someone else and possibly caused an accident. I do have a picture of the sunroof prior to breaking away the additional, broken glass. Please contact me for it, should it be needed.

Optima

38,000 miles

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a residential garage, the sunroof exploded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was being diagnosed and repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Optima 4-cyl

6,313 miles

Driving along interstate, about to merge into traffic when mirror suddenly just fell off! the only thing that kept it from completely falling off was the cable running into the door. Took it to the dealer who said "they had never seen anything like this before!" it will be 4 days before my mirror gets replaced! this car is not safe to drive in it's current condition.

Optima 4-cyl

miles

I purchased this new car in January and have had a difficult time adapting to the blind spots out of the rear window. The safety features of this car are amazing even with what I believe is 1 exception. The rear headrests of this car were designed too large. Even in the down position these headrests block nearly 2 thirds of the rear window visibility. Selecting safety over looks I've completely removed both rear headrests (they slide right out) and carry them in the trunk if passengers sitting in the rear request them. My suggestion is that Kia produce and retrofit lower sleeker headrests for the rear that are 1/2 as high as the current. Dealers could probably swap them out and Kia could reuse overseas if they choose. Please contact me via email if photos are needed but for the most part your department could look at any 2012 Optima and see what I see. Once again, this is an amazing car but I see this as a safety improvement / concern. Thank you

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